A Week of Thanks: Wrapping it Up!

I know I was a little late to finish up, but I'm finishing up my Blog Hoppin Week of Giving with the letters K & S. I've enjoyed stopping by some new blogs and looking at all the wonderful things we have to appreciate.

This year, I'm thank for .... 

Of course, we all wouldn't be in this profession without our students. This year we have a particularly great group of students. I look forward to going to work each day and having "fun" with my classes. My favorite day of the week is Friday because we have our huge team meeting usually followed up by Kid President. We've used Kid President videos this year to teach about character and give our students something to dance about!

I'm proud to say we took part in Kid President's Socktober Challenge and collected nearly 400 items for our local food pantry including over 80 pairs of socks! If you haven't heard of Socktober it's definitely worth doing any time of the year...


I'm so happy to have this great tradition with my students. We've actually missed the past few Fridays with Kid President videos - and I think I miss it as much as the students. He's a great role model with such a postitive attitude.

Thanks Kid President for making our Fridays AWESOME!

2 + 1 = TPTCYBER : What's On Your Wishlist?

Many of you probably have your wishlists ready for Teacher Pay Teacher's Cyber Monday & Tuesday sale! You can get up to 28% off many of your wish listed items. Don't forget to add the code TPTCYBER before checking out.

So, as I check out my wishlist and finish up some products, I thought I'd take a few minutes and link with Ideas by Jivey for her What's On Your Wishlist? linky.

The number one wish listed item from my store is one of my very first products -- "Social Studies: I Can Statements" for American History. Looking back, these "I Cans" are simple and get the job done. I used this statments in my own classroom until Ohio changed it's Social Studies curriculum.

 

You can get the updated version of these "I Can" statements based on Ohio's Model Curriculum for both 4th & 5th grades in my store as well.

At only $3 dollars regular price, you can get these as a great add-on item during the sale. They look great on colored card stock.

The second most wish listed item is a new product in my store. It's my Maya, Inca, Aztec Interactive Notebook pages! These can be used with any textbook, nonfiction trade book, movie, etc! These are a fun addition to any interactive notebook collection. I created these after striking out when trying to find "big kid" Social Studies interactive notebook pages that fit my curriculum.

Click the image to snag a freebie and download a preview!

First on my list are from the amazing Hello Literacy's TPT Store. I've had these on my wishlist for a while now but with our nonfiction reading unit in full swing - these articles would be a great addition for small group work and RTI. And of course, I need Short Informational Text Articles Set 1 and Short Informational Text Articles Set 2.

And you can never have too much clipart... I've wanted these Melonheadz cuties since they came out!

What's on your Cyber Monday shopping list?

Happy Tha-N-ksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving blogging community! I can't wait to try some of my cousins apple and pumpkin pie today... the dessert table is where it's at our family Thanksgiving. But before digging into some pie, I wanted to link up with Blog Hoppin and continue A Week of Giving.

Today, I'm thankful for...

This may seem old-fashioned but I enjoy teaching my students the art of writing. Technology is wonderful and I use it for so many things but there is something about the physical act of writing. I know most of my students will most likely not became famous authors. However, the act of writing is empowering. It teaches kids to find their voice, provides a place for researching their opinions, and lets kids know that their ideas matter. When I decided I wanted to be a teacher, that confidence and skill of writing - helped me complete college applications and write many, many research papers along the way. I hope my students find pride in their notebooks and find their own voice along the way. Plus, notebooks are fun to decorate and personalize. And don't even get my started on finding that perfect pattern at the beginning of the school year...

I keep a Reader's and Writer's Notebook along with my students...

How do you use notebooks in your classroom?

A Week of Thanks: A!

I've been a regular blogger for four days straight - almost an entire school week. Wow! It's great to be back in a good habit even if I'm only writing a few short posts. I've been loving reading everyone's posts from A Week of Giving hosted by the wonderful ladies at Blog Hoppin'.

Today, I'm linking up to share my letter "A."

I'm thankful for... 

I think student artwork helps my classroom feel like my home away from home. I love looking at my students work. It makes my classroom come alive each year. Yes, I spent countless hours on bulletin board but having rotations of artwork can really bring a class to life. And when I'm working after hours or need a pick me up - looking a fifth grader's Native American mosaics, book wreaths, or dressed up turkey can really change your mood. Even big kids love to be creative and I think that's worthy of display.

Here's some artwork from my students' this year... 

But, I have a confession...

 I also love creating art as well although I'm no Van Gogh!

Mark your calendars -Teachers Pay Teachers is having a Cyber Monday and Tuesday sale! Plus, I'm offering 20% off my entire store as well! Check out some of my new Social Studies interactive notebooks. Here's a peek at my newest addition...

Happy THANKSgiving! 

A Week of Thanks: H!

Today, I'm back linking up with the girls at Blog Hoppin' for their Week of Giving linky. H was hard to pin down. I love time at the holidays and I feel like school at times can be my home, however, if I'm keeping with a week of thanks... I couldn't make it through the year without...

I'm so lucky we have such great and supportive parents in our community. I know that it is a true blessing to have. Without our great parents and PTO, I know my time would not be as efficiently used. I've had parents help precheck my homework, grade spelling homework, make copies, hang bulletin boards, staple book orders, cut items for projects and plan class parties. They also donated breakfast for our Veteran's Day celebration and offer up some great "prizes" for our Lemonade Day! Plus, their kind words over the years have been true sanity savers. I can't thank them enough for all their help each year!

To my wonderful parents, thanks for everything!